In oilfield operations, reciprocating pumps are utilized at wellsites for large scale, high-pressure operations. Such operations may include drilling, cementing, acidizing, water jet cutting, and hydraulic fracturing of subterranean formations. In some applications, several pumps may be connected in parallel to a single manifold, flow line, or well. Some reciprocating pumps include reciprocating members driven by a crankshaft toward and away from a fluid chamber to alternatingly draw in, pressurize, and expel fluid from the fluid chamber. Hydraulic fracturing of a subterranean formation, for example, may utilize fluid at a pressure exceeding 10,000 PSI.
The success of the pumping operations may be related to many factors, including physical size, weight, failure rates, and safety. Although reciprocating pumps may operate well at high pressures, the pressurized fluid is discharged in an oscillating manner forming fluid pressure spikes at the pump outlet. These oscillating fluid pressure spikes may be amplified in a pumping system comprising two or more reciprocating pumps due to resonance phenomena caused by interaction between two or more fluid flows. The resulting amplified high-pressure spikes may be transmitted through a piping system and/or other portions of the pumping system connected downstream from the reciprocating pumps. Piping, hose, and equipment failures have been linked to the high-pressure spikes. Pressure failures may be reduced by over-designing portions of the pumping systems with large safety factors and by introducing dampening systems. Such solutions, however, increase the size, weight, and cost of the pumping systems.